


You Haven't Met The New Me Yet

by TristenCrone



Category: Mrs. Winterbourne (1996), Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: 90'S, Age Difference, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Babies, Ben Solo Needs A Hug, Deception, Distrust, F/M, Grief/Mourning, Happy Ending, Homelessness, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Lies, Minor Character Death, Mistaken Identity, Mistaken for Being in a Relationship, Pregnancy, Size Difference, Slow Dancing, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-01-06
Packaged: 2021-03-15 10:27:08
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28562031
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TristenCrone/pseuds/TristenCrone
Summary: Rey is pregnant, broke, and terrified at the prospect of facing her first night on the streets. She heads into the subway to stay dry and gets swept up in the rush of people. Accidentally shoved and stuck on a train bound for who knows where she meets a kind stranger and his pregnant wife.Fate will change all of their lives forever.
Relationships: Rey & Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo, Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 36
Kudos: 68





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi all :) I have a new fic!
> 
> I know, I know... *pile of other unfinished WIPs staring at me from their corner*  
> I'm just trash at finishing things.
> 
> Either way, I hope you'll enjoy my Reylo take on the movie Mrs. Winterbourne (90s classic with Ricki Lake and Brendan Fraser)
> 
> Please let me know what you think in the comments, or let me know if you've seen the movie before! Hope you all enjoy it :)

Chapter 1

Rey had never led the most charmed life, but standing in the pouring rain shouting up at her bum-of-an-ex’s flat was a new low, even for her. She promised herself that she wouldn’t be doing it if she had a choice. It helped to take away the sharp-edge of the guilt that burned up her chest, eased but not erased.

“Open the door! You owe me at least that, Chase!” Rey shouted, the slap of the rain on the pavement a roar in her ears, but she was sure she put enough volume into it. Her throat felt scratchy and sensitive when she swallowed the tears that threatened.

“I don’t owe you shit, you little tramp!” He shouted through the third-floor window; his face twisted in disdain.

“I’m carrying your child, for god’s sake! Look, just give me one night. I have nowhere else to go,” she hated how desperate she sounded, hated the thought of having to rely on anyone, least of all him.

She’d lost her server job when the uniform would no longer close over her stomach, and she had no way of fighting against the dismissal. Rey tried, she really did, but no one else was willing to give her a job under the table. Her visa was expired and she had no money for a ticket back to England. Not that it mattered much in the scheme of things, she had nothing to go back to.

Rey had made the mistake of following Chase to New York after a whirlwind in England, convinced that she loved him. When she found out she was pregnant a few weeks later she’d been scared but excited.

Chase hadn’t felt the same.

“That sounds like a ‘you’ problem!” He sneered, waving her away, “and it’s not my damn kid! I told you to get rid of it months ago, you chose not to listen,” Chase said and Rey recoiled at the memory of that day, snaking its way past the guards she set in place.

 _Compartmentalize_ , she thought. It was the only way to keep on surviving.

A young woman joined him in the window, speaking to him softly. Rey couldn’t make out the words but it was clear that she wasn’t trying to put in a sympathetic word, the two of them laughing down at her.

“Here, I picked this up today. Maybe it’ll bring you some luck!” Chase said, tossing a coin down at her. The quarter hit her in the arm and rebounded, clattering and spinning on the pavement before it slowed to a stop.

He slammed the window shut and drew the curtains, and Rey fought with all her might against the scream that burned behind her throat.

 _What am I going to do now?_ She wondered, out of options and money, the quarter the only thing to her name.

She sloshed through the rain-drenched streets, a newspaper the only protection she had, and it wasn’t up to the task. By the time she’d made it a few blocks the paper was sopping, dripping water down her face to blend with her tears.

She was exhausted, the extra weight of the baby hell on her back, and Rey was sure it would feel even worse after tonight. Her first night on the streets.

The thought was sobering, a sob ripping through her shivering lips. The subway station up ahead filled with a rush of people, all trying to get out of the rain. The glow from inside was far more inviting than it had any right to be.

Rey just needed a moment to dry off and catch her breath. The station wouldn’t stay open all night, she probably wouldn’t be able to spend the night there, but maybe it would give her enough time to make a plan.

A beggar outside held a crumpled cup in his hand, grubby fingers peeking through fingerless gloves. She flinched away, the prospect of him… of that being her future scared her so much she wanted to run.

She pushed through the crowd, the chaos of so many people almost too much to bear, but the stinging cold of the weather had her forcing her way through to an open spot on the stairs. Rey sank down unsteadily, gripping her belly in one hand, the stair railing in the other.

Three months ago, she wouldn’t have dared sitting on a subway stairwell that smelled like pee and hadn’t seen soap in years. A little under a year ago she was wide-eyed with wonder at the new world Chase exposed her to, and giddy at the prospect of him being her family.

A lot had changed since then. She had changed since then.

She’d been alone as a child, losing her parents at a young age had left her rudderless, but Rey had remained hopeful and curious. These days it was getting harder and harder to keep that same outlook.

She felt a flutter of movement inside of her, it was getting to be a tight squeeze. Rey wasn’t sure exactly how far along she was, without health insurance and with the prospect of being deported without identification she’d avoided doctors. Her hand cradled the swell of her stomach, feeling the movement through her too-tight skin.

Its movement hadn’t been as vigorous the last week or so, she suspected her time was close and that the baby just didn’t have as much room to move around.

The beggar from the doorway approached her, and as she was about to open her mouth to protest, he handed her a folded sheet of paper.

“There’s a shelter a few stops away, they might still have some room tonight but I’d get there as soon as you can. Food’s okay, it’s warm and dry. You shouldn’t hang around here too long, it gets dangerous as the night goes on. It’s no place for someone in your condition,” he said.

Rey scanned the information on the page, the paper crumpling as she gripped it in her hand, not believing her luck.

“Thank you!” she said, looking up at him, her eyes filling with tears. The relief was so complete that she almost felt like she might faint.

“I don’t have anything else, but you can have this,” she said, placing the quarter in his cup, the soft thud of coins tinkled in the din of conversation around them.

“I can’t take that, you need it,” he said, shaking his head.

Rey simply shook her head and rested her hand over the mouth of the cup so he couldn’t remove it.

“You helped me, even though you know nothing about me or my circumstances, after I ignored you earlier. I’ll give what I have and hope that somehow it makes a difference for you,” Rey insisted, offering a small smile.

He nodded and she removed her hand, readying herself for the feat of hauling herself to her feet. He held out his hand to help her and she was standing in far less time than it would have taken alone.

“The track is just down these stairs and to the left,” he offered, giving her a tiny salute as he turned to leave.

Rey found her way down the stairs, struggling through the throng of people that formed a river around her, all she could do was hold onto the railing and move with the tide.

She managed to push through toward the platform, they called out the next train but she couldn’t make out where it was headed. The wall of people around her were impatient, trying to shove their way onto the train.

In the confusion she was ushered into the open doors of the train car, hands wrapped around her arms, physically moving her out of the way of the incoming passengers. They all found their seats, tables occasionally breaking up the space between chairs.

Rey crossed over to the next car with the sickening realization that this was not the subway.

The doors hissed shut, metal creaking as the train launched forward on the track. Rey braced herself on the cold steel wall, her other hand grabbed the headrest on one of the seats nearby.

 _Oh no._ This was bad.

She looked around lost and anxious, trying to find a way to get off but she knew she wouldn’t be able to until the next stop at least.

The seats were filling quickly, and she wandered through each car hoping for an empty one but so far it proved difficult. The conductor that followed a few paces behind finally caught up to her, placing a hand on her shoulder to turn her toward him.

“Ticket, miss?” he asked, his old face folded into stern wrinkles, tufts of silver hair sticking out under his hat.

“I… uh…” Shit. _Think_. Think. She scrambled for an excuse, anything that would help.

“My uh, my husband has our tickets. I’m just trying to get to him,” she said and pushed her way through the last few people getting settled on that car. Hoping she would find some magical solution before she ran out of train.

The further down the got, the more spacious the areas were, less seats. Eventually she came across the drink car, bumping into a tall man in the process of ordering.

“God, I’m so sorry. I’m so clumsy these days,” she offered in apology and he looked down at her and smiled.

His long dark hair was pushed back from his face as if he ran his fingers through it constantly, brown eyes crinkled at the corners, and his full lips stretched over white teeth that were just slightly imperfect. He laughed in response, a warm and rounded sound, a comfort to her frayed nerves.

“I can imagine, precious cargo on board,” he said, looking down at her stomach, “You look thirsty, why don’t you take this,” he said, reaching out a cup of water. She gulped it down greedily, saving half for later.

“Thank you so much! I can’t tell you how much I needed that,” she smiled back, shy but grateful.

He nodded and smiled, lifting his own drink to his mouth, a gold ring glinting off of his left hand. Of course. He was friendly and helpful to a massively pregnant stranger, of course he’d been snapped up.

“Miss, I _need_ your ticket!” the conductor said, slightly breathless as if he had rushed to find her.

“I…” Rey started, looking helplessly between the two men.

“Here they are,” The dark-haired man said. “You’ll find both our tickets there,” he said, handing over the booklet that indeed held two tickets.

“See, I told you my husband had them,” she said, a happy bubble rising in her chest at the old man’s huff before he turned and left the drink car.

Her coconspirator winked at her, seemingly happy to be in on the ruse.

“Well, I ought to know your name, since you’re my wife and all,” he joked and Rey let the laugh she’d been keeping in escape.

“Thank you again. I’m Rey,” she said, sticking her hand out for him to shake.

“Kylo Solo, but I go by Kyle. It’s easier rolling off the tongue,” he laughed and winked, returning the handshake.

“Nice to meet you,” Rey offered, “but good luck getting a seat, it’s packed!” she said.

He lifted an eyebrow quickly, that easy smile seemed like it was very much at home on his face. “Don’t worry about it, follow me,” Kyle said, signaling Rey to follow him.

Kyle pushed along further, toward the front of the train and opened up a door on the right. A private room, small but warm and welcoming, and in it a tall blonde woman with a hand pressed to her lower back.

She turned toward them at the sound of the door and smiled at Kyle, looking toward Rey and giving a small shrug in question. Her stomach was just as rounded as Rey’s own. She understood his willingness to help more now.

“Andrea, this is Rey. Rey, this is my wife Andrea Solo” he said, his hand moving between the two in introduction.

“Lovely to meet you! Oh, please come in, sit down. Your feet must be killing you; I know mine are,” Andrea said, offering her the seat across from where she stood, sinking down to sit as well.

“I’m glad you’re back. Did you happen to grab that drink I asked for?” Andrea asked and Rey lifted the half-full cup in question, held in her own hand.

“Ah, I see,” she said, smiling in understanding.

“Don’t worry, dear. I’ll get you another. I’ll be right back. Love you,” he said, pressing a kiss to her temple, and Andrea squeezed the hand he rested on her shoulder.

“Thank you, love you too,” she said, her face flushed slightly but gladder than Rey had seen anyone feel in a while.

Rey couldn’t blame her, they were surrounded by baggage, Andrea’s wedding ring glinted in the light of the room where it rested on her stomach.

“He was very kind, thank you both for being so nice to me,” Rey said, sipping the water and trying to ignore the hunger ache. She’d spent her last money on food this morning, she’d hoped Chase would have been more willing to help, but now she had no idea where her next meal would come from.

“Of course!” Andrea said and she looked Rey over. No doubt taking in the wet, dirty hair and the clothes that had definitely seen better days. “You poor thing, you’re soaked through. You must be freezing!” Andrea said, her face pulling into concern, and she pushed herself back up to her feet.

“Here, it’ll take Kyle at least a couple minutes to get that drink. Why don’t you put on something of mine, at least that way you’ll be warm and dry,” Andrea offered, rifling through one of the trunks of luggage, pulling out a loose dress and flowy cover.

Rey nodded and tried to smile, but couldn’t force words past the stone in her throat. She didn’t know these people at all and she’d received so much kindness tonight. More than she deserved. She took the offered clothes and dressed as quickly as she could.

Trying her best to hide the sorry state of her clothes, she folded them into a small bundle beside her as she sat back down, the soft fabric of the dress nicer than any she’d owned, even if the sleeves were far too long.

“You know, you’re my first conversation in America,” Andrea said.

“Really, how so?” Rey wondered, her accent sounded American, if a little softer than the ones Rey had heard in New York.

“I grew up abroad, my father was a business man who travelled a lot for work. My mother didn’t want to be apart from him so we went with him all over the world. I’d been living in Amsterdam for the last few years. That’s where I met Kyle. We’re here so I can meet his family for the first time!” Andrea said, clearly excited at the prospect.

“How amazing for you both,” Rey said, her gut churning at the thought of having a family to share milestones like this with.

“Yeah. It took some convincing to get Kyle to come home, but I knew his family would want to meet their grandbaby. I couldn’t deprive them of this, especially after we got married so quickly. None of them were able to attend, it was such a crazy rush,” Andrea explained.

Andrea seemed to get caught up in a memory or something like it, raising her ringed hand to look at it, as if she wasn’t sure it was real.

“It’s a gorgeous ring,” Rey said, watching her turn her hand so the stones caught the light.

“Would you liked to try it on?” Andrea offered, already tugging it off of her finger.

Rey felt a surge of panic that she couldn’t explain.

“Oh, no. I couldn’t. Isn’t it bad luck or something?” She asked, trying to get out of it.

“Nonsense,” Andrea said, standing up to hand it to her, pressing the ring into Rey’s palm. “I’m the luckiest girl alive right now,” she said, smiling and resting her hand back on her stomach.

Rey slipped the ring onto her finger, the gold warm from Andrea’s hand. It fit snugly; her hands swollen from pregnancy. But there was no denying it was a beautiful ring, regardless of the hand it rested on. Rey couldn’t wait to take it off. It felt wrong somehow. Her stomach lurched, heartburn rising up her chest.

“It looks beautiful on you,” Andrea said, her smile sincere.

Even so, Rey felt uncomfortable with the praise, trying to pry it from her finger to give it back as quickly as she could.

The rain outside still came down in droves, pelting the side of the window. A feeling of unease spread through her, as she struggled with the ring. She was about to put her finger in her mouth to pull it off with her teeth when the car shook violently.

Her hand clung to the armrest, the other bracing itself against one of the large trunks beside her. Andrea flew backward with a heavy thud. The pained cry that was wrenched from her body mingled with the screaming sound of metal sliding against metal, twisting and creaking.

The train gave a keening sound, lights flickering on and off and the last thing Rey was aware of was the slick feeling of her water cup spilled on the dress before her head met the side of the car with a crunch.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you so much for the love on chapter 1! Your enthusiastic response helped me push through and get the next update done ASAP :) As usual I hope you enjoy and look forward to hearing your thoughts and ideas.

Chapter 2

Ben felt like he’d been struck by lightning. The pain was intense and hot and paralyzing. The phone somehow found its way back onto the cradle, and he’d managed to relay the message to Poe to tell his mother. He felt bad about not telling her himself but the guilt couldn’t compare with the grief and resentment that threated to boil over and spill out of him.

A train accident.

It was the twentieth century, how did something like that even happen?

The police said they were investigating the cause, but the terrible weather had surely not helped the matter. It had taken search and rescue hours to comb through the debris. They had recovered Kyle’s body and it was being sent up to Providence and then to Newhaven for burial.

His wife, _Andrea_ , Ben thought bitterly. She had survived. Rushed to Yale New Haven Hospital for emergent surgery and had been unconscious since. He’d send Poe over to fetch her, once they knew whether she was going to pull through or not.

Ben let out a sigh so weighty it felt like it would crush his chest with the strain of breathing.

Kyle… Fucking free-spirited, happy-go-lucky Kyle. His brother.

They hadn’t spoken in years. The thought was like rebar through his sternum.

Memories rushed through him so quickly he couldn’t catch hold of them quick enough to make sense of any of it, just left with the lingering emotions of each one. Disbelief, anger, resentment, coldness, loneliness… Grief, grief too terrible to name.

The discomfort of his inability to put any of this into words, to let any of it out, choked him. Tears sat so thick on his throat he felt like he would be sick.

So, he got up, walking through molasses to reach the door. His hand gripped the doorknob and shut it softly, fighting every impulse within his body.

The urge to rip the door from the fucking hinges was all-consuming, his chest heaving with the desperation to take a proper breath… one not tainted with an edge, swallowing the spit and blood that pooled in his mouth from his teeth having sunk into his cheek.

The metallic taste served to ground him, if only slightly, enough that he was able to push some of it down… for later, he promised himself. But he knew there would be no later.

He never wanted to feel this ever again.

Ben gathered his suit jacket, pulling his arm through each sleeve, focusing on the physical act to make it through the next breath. He filled his pockets with his belongings, turned off his computer, and opened his office door back up when he was convinced he could force words through his lips.

His secretary sat at her desk in the small waiting room, she was old and had been his father’s secretary before him. Those fathomless dark eyes looked up at him through her glasses and she opened her mouth to speak but Ben lifted a hand to stop her.

He could only do this if it was on his terms.

“Maz, I’m going home to check on mother and handle the arrangements. I’m not sure when I’ll be back in. Please cancel the rest of today’s schedule. Might be best to do the same for tomorrow,” Ben said, his voice strangely tight. “Please arrange a car for me,” he finished, pleased that he’d made it through what he needed.

She nodded, raising her telephone to her ear to do as he asked. Ben counted the steps to the elevator. Fourteen.

And then the steps from the elevator to the doors. Twenty-Eight.

And then the stairs to the black town car that waited at the curb. Thirty.

And then each aching breath that he forced through his lungs, concentrating hard on something his body should do naturally but somewhere between the floor collapsing beneath him and the walk to the car he seemed to have forgotten how to do it.

The drive to his mother’s house was a blur, the commute usually annoying but now he just felt hollow, like a piece of him had been cleaved away and the breeze flew through it.

He walked in without preamble, headed straight for his mother’s bedroom.

She must have been taking it hard; he was sure. Her heart had been sensitive since his father’s death a few years ago and he worried that this would push her into an attack.

He found her sitting on the edge of the bed, her usually prim clothes wrinkled, staring down at her hands in her lap. She looked up when she heard him enter and he could see the red-rimmed eyes, make up running down her face.

Leia was always put together, ever the society darling, but she looked devastated now and he could understand the feeling. She’d been so excited when Kyle sent word that he was coming home with his new wife. Mother had spent all week getting the house ready.

Now it seemed the house was primed to host the funeral.

“Oh Ben,” she sobbed, reaching out for him.

He sat beside her and wrapped his arm around her shoulders, her head turning into his chest, her small hand gripping the lapel of his jacket as the sobs wracked her body. Ben tried to soothe her as best as he could, but it was no use. There was no comfort for this.

She cried until she’d exhausted herself and he helped her into bed, her hand splayed against his cheek, she gave him a watery smile that didn’t reach her eyes.

“I’m sorry, Ben,” she said, and he didn’t know what she was apologizing for. He didn’t know if he wanted to. His composure was a lake barely frozen over, a skater on thin ice, the pinging sound of the cracking a constant warning that it could be over at any moment.

So instead, he nodded and headed downstairs to call the morgue and the hospital. All things the “good” son, the “responsible” one was left with, in the wake of the gaping hole his brother left. Picking up the pieces again.

They made it through those first few days, barely, but his mother steeled herself. The next time he saw her she looked polished and composed, she helped finalize the arrangements and saw to Andrea’s care.

She seemed to convalescing well, even though she hadn’t yet woken up.

He felt the smallest twinge of guilt at the funeral, that perhaps they should have waited for her… but it was overshadowed when that wood box was lowered into the dirt.

Mother was going to have her come to the house when she was well enough to leave, claimed that Andrea would need family. He didn’t know how much of a family they really were, considering he’d never met the woman.

He’d done some digging and of course his brother hadn’t bothered to set up a will. Ben and his mother inherited Kyle’s share, even though Leia tried to refuse the lawyer was insistent.

Leia swore that she would rectify it for Andrea, as soon as she was “home” with them.

Ben fought the bile that burned through his esophagus every time her name was mentioned. They knew nothing about this woman; besides that she was a victim of his brother’s charms, and that the wedding had been spurred on by the fact that she was pregnant.

Mother was still hurt that she hadn’t been able to attend the wedding. Ben was sure there wasn’t much to miss. Knowing Kyle, it had just been the two of them on a beach somewhere, or a justice of the peace on the way to the next city that he’d lose himself in.

Mother and Poe were on the same page, the butler already protective over “Kyle’s wife” as he kept calling her. Ben swallowed each retort that came to mind. They were hurting, he didn’t want to add to it.

But he would watch her, carefully. Something wasn’t right here. It couldn’t be.

He’d thought that the moment he heard they’d gotten married, two weeks after the fact and from a scratchy payphone in Paris. If there was something ingenuine or nefarious about her he would find it. Even if they were too trusting to see it. He would protect his family.

Rey woke suddenly, the oxygen cannula in her nose uncomfortable and hard. She tugged on it, relief instant when it left her nostrils.

 _Where am I?_ she thought, confusion and fog overwhelmed her brain and left her feeling like she floated just outside of her body.

She’d been on the train, talking to Andrea when… it was hazy but she remembered the terrifying scream of metal and the pain in her head. Rey lifted her hand to the back of her head, painful to the touch and the roughness of stitches ridged against her fingertips.

Her hands flew down to her stomach, flatter than it had been on the train and she felt the grogginess give way to mind-blowing panic. Sitting up in the bed, swooning with the quick movement she dug around frantically for the button to call the nurse.

She pressed it multiple times in succession, the light above her bed blinking orange. Within a few moments a nurse came in, smiling.

“Where’s my baby?” Rey asked, the terror in her voice cutting through the roughness of unused vocal cords.

“Take it easy, you’re too excited. Why don’t you just slow down for a moment,” the nurse suggested, moving over to check on Rey’s vitals.

Rey ripped the thin coverlet off of her legs, swinging them over the side of the bed, ready to get up. The IV in her arm tugged, taut where it stood on the other side of the bed.

“Ma’am. You really do need to calm down,” the nurse said.

“I’ll calm down when I see my bloody baby! Where is my baby?” she shouted at the nurse, struggling to move to the other side of the bed so she could drag the IV with her on her search.

“Your baby is fine, he’s in the nursery,” she said and Rey felt the blood that had been rushing to her head settle for the first time since she’d sat up.

“He’s okay? You said it’s a he…” Rey said, deflating quickly once the adrenalin started to fade.

“Beautiful boy, ten fingers and ten toes. You gave us a scare when you came in, but he was totally fine,” the nurse said and Rey registered what she had said for the first time.

She had a son. A healthy son. Oh _god_ , she couldn’t wait to meet him, to get to cradle him in her arms and sing stupid songs to calm his hiccoughing cries. Rey imagined the blissful feeling of pressing a kiss to the top of his head and breathing in the intoxicating scent of new baby.

Her arms felt bereft at the thought.

She gazed around, the brunette nurse hovering in a way that made her feel a little uneasy, so she focused on the surroundings she found herself in instead.

A well-lit private room, large windows overlooking some trees. Flowers lined the room, bouquets of various sizes, bright and cheerful. A large gift basket was balanced on the chair across the bed, still wrapped in cellophane and a big yellow bow.

_What the fuck?_

Had she woken up in some alternate universe?

She didn’t even know enough people for two bouquets, and no one she knew would care enough to do so.

Rey stretched out her arms, her body feeling weirdly stiff and still sore. As her fingers flexed in front of her, she noticed the glint of a ring on her left hand.

_Oh no._

_Oh no, no, no._

The doctor came in then, pleased to see Rey awake. His eyebrows overly bushy, giving him the appearance of an owl.

“Well, missy… you gave a lot of us a big scare when you came in,” he admonished with a smile, examining her wound and notating whatever he found in his chart.

“How long have I been here?” She asked, worry coursing through her body.

“Eight days, we had to induce a coma to give the swelling in your brain a chance to decrease,” the doctor explained.

_Eight days…_

“Do you remember what happened?” the doctor asked, staring at her intently, his expression concerned.

“There… there was a train accident, I think?” Rey answered, not quite sure what happened after that or whether the whole train had been affected.

“Yes, Mrs. Solo. A train derailed and you were rushed to us here at Yale New Haven. We had to do an emergency C-Section as well as burr holes to relieve the swelling from your head injury,” the doctor explained.

“Oh no, there’s been a big mistake. I’m not… I shouldn’t be here,” Rey floundered, her worst suspicions being confirmed. “Where’s Kyle?” she asked, her voice getting shrill, even to her own ears.

“Mrs. Solo, please calm down,” the doctor said, his hands on her shoulders, squeezing to pull her attention away.

“No, there’s been a mistake. I need to speak to Kyle,” Rey insisted.

“Mrs. Solo… Mr. Solo didn’t survive the accident. I’m very sorry to say,” he said, his face somber.

“Oh god, oh god no!” Rey exclaimed, the guilt building in her chest, undercut with a sharp ache at the thought of him never smiling again, or kissing his wife and meeting their child, “There was another woman with me in the car. She was pregnant as well,” Rey tried to explain, gesticulating wildly. Unsure how to tell them what was going on.

“There were no other passengers found in your car. The only other person found that was pregnant had been thrown from the train car and did not survive,” the doctor said, and he looked over Rey’s shoulder at the nurse, seemingly imploring her for something but Rey was too wrapped up in the feelings of distress that overwhelmed her.

They had been so kind to her and now they were dead. Their child, dead.

Her eyes filled with tears.

“Doctor, there’s been a huge mistake. I shouldn’t be here. I don’t belong here,” Rey cried, trying to explain that she wasn’t who they thought she was.

“It’s okay, we understand that this must be distressing. We need you to calm down, Andrea. So, we’re going to give you a little something to settle your nerves,” he said, gesturing to the nurse.

“No, really. You don’t get it. I’m not…” Rey started but felt the burn of medicine moving through her before her limbs started to feel cumbersome and useless.

“Shhh, you lie back down for a bit,” was the last thing she heard before her eyelids shuttered, no use against the tranquilizers.

The hospital called Ben eight days after the accident to let them know she’d woken, confused and agitated. He braced himself for the announcement that she would be coming home.

During those eight days while he waited, he threw himself into the business, making up the cancelled meetings and more. Sleep was an elusive devil that promised nothing but nightmares. Maz kept watching him, that shrewd gaze seeing and knowing far more than he would have liked her to.

She said nothing, just brought him food and newspapers, and a respite from the constant buzz that surrounded them. Everyone wanted to know how the family was doing, how they felt. Everyone had questions about Andrea. Maz fielded them like a pro, steering the conversation back to the business matter at hand without needing to be told.

His mother insisted on having Poe fetch Andrea from the hospital. Apparently, she had been extremely distressed at finding out about Kyle’s death and had to be sedated. The baby was unharmed, if a little premature, but after eight days in the hospital they were happy to release him with his mother.

Leia promised that she would see to it if Andrea needed any extra rehabilitation or therapy for her injuries and trauma. The closer it got to her release time, the tighter the knots in Ben’s stomach pulled, wrestled into a painful fist.

He wasn’t ready for this. He’d been getting by the majority of his days by just floating through, pushing the memory of his brother’s death to the back of his mind. Most days he managed to forget about it for at least a few hours.

That wouldn’t be possible with his widow and their baby wandering around the estate, embedding themselves in his family and their lives. It wasn’t his choice though, once again he didn’t have a say.

So, they sent Poe over, and his mother made a phone call to the hospital to insist on Andrea coming to their home. Reminding her that she had nowhere else to go.

He couldn’t understand why his mother had felt the need to say that, but it had been enough for her to get her way.

They readied a room for her, and tried to rid the house of as much of the sympathy flowers as possible. Leia set the cooks in motion to prepare dinner for them all.

Ben waited with bated breath and clenched fists to meet the harbinger that symbolized the end of everything he knew, and by the time the car arrived at the foot of the drive he had bloody crescents embedded in his palms.

 _Here we go,_ he thought and the front door swung open.


End file.
